Wriddhiman Saha set to regain fitness in time for Australia Tests but will he be eligible for selection?

Ishant Sharma. Credit: AFP Photo

The senior cricket selection committee, which met on Sunday under the chairmanship of Sunil Joshi, made a few changes to the Australia-bound squad after receiving reports on the fitness of the various players and it’s likely that Wriddhiman Saha will be fit to play the Test matches.

The Bengal wicketkeeper, who would have been the Indian team's preferred choice in the four-Test series, injured both hamstrings during the Sunrisers Hyderabad match on Nov. 3. He will report to the National Cricket Academy for his rehabilitation. With more than a month left for the beginning of the first Test, he is expected to make a full recovery. However, it’s doubtful whether he will be available for selection in the first two Tests.

“The senior Indian wicketkeeper sustained injuries to both his hamstrings during his side’s IPL game on Nov. 3. A call on his availability will be taken later,” said BCCI secretary Jay Shah in a statement.

India’s tour of Australia comprises three ODIs, three T20Is and four Tests. The series begins Nov. 27. The Tests start on Dec. 17 in Adelaide.

In a surprisingly comprehensive press release, which detailed the players’ injuries and the future course of action for each one of them, the BCCI finally gave an update on Rohit Sharma. He has now been included in the Test squad but will miss the limited-overs leg of the tour.

“The BCCI Medical Team has been monitoring Rohit Sharma’s fitness and has briefed the All-India Senior Selection Committee on the same," the BCCI statement said. "In consultation with Sharma, it has been decided to rest him for the ODIs and T20Is in Australia to regain full fitness and he has been included in India’s Test squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.”

On Thursday, DH had reported that Rohit would be travelling to Australia along with the Indian squad and would continue his recovery under the watch of the BCCI medical staff.

The BCCI also said that Ishant Sharma would be added to the Test squad based on his fitness. "The senior Indian fast bowler (Ishant) has been undergoing his rehab at the National Cricket Academy. Once he fully recovers and gains sufficient match fitness, he will be added to India’s Test squad,” Shah said.

It’s learnt that the selection committee is not taking any chances after the embarrassment of the New Zealand tour in which Ishant had to return home due to the recurrence of an injury. The committee has apparently insisted on regular updates on players’ injuries from the NCA and will select a player only if he is fully fit to take the field.

Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy has been ruled out of the T20Is in Australia. “The spinner has been ruled out of the T20I series owing to a shoulder injury. The selectors have named T Natarajan as a replacement,” the BCCI release stated.

Neither Chakravarthy nor the Kolkata Knight Riders management informed the BCCI that he had suffered a labrum tear but had continued playing. It’s now learnt that the spinner will need a surgery.

A red-faced selection panel is reportedly upset with the player and the franchise.

Natarajan, who was set to accompany the team as a net bowler, took 16 wickets for SRH and impressed with his ability to bowl yorkers at will. However, Kamlesh Nagarkoti will not go to Australia as the BCCI will need to monitor his workload at the NCA.

Sanju Samson, who was earlier only included in the T20 squad, has been added to the ODI line-up as an additional keeper.

Revised squads for the Aus tour:

T20I squad: Virat Kohli (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul (vice captain and wk), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar, T Natarajan.

ODI squad: Virat Kohli (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul (vice captain & wk), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Mayank Agarwal, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur, Sanju Samson (wk).

Test squad: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vice captain), Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj.